Smoked Prime Rib

This year I decided to cook prime rib for Christmas dinner.  Given my love for cooking meats on the smoker, I decided to try to smoke the prime rib roast this year.  The roast I prepared was on the smaller size, but since the meat was cooked to a specific temperature, this recipe will work for any size roast.  You just need to calculate the cooking time and have a cook until the desired internal temperature is reached.

After researching, I found the following to be the most common list of average cooking times per pound:

Cooking temperature: 225°F - 250°F

• 20 min. per lb. for Rare
• 25 min. per lb. for Medium
• 30 min. per lb. for Well

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 Prime Rib roast of your choosing
Generous amounts of kosher salt and coarse ground pepper

For Au Jus:
1 can beef consommé
Water
Worcestershire sauce, as needed

Directions
Cover all sides of roast with salt and pepper and allow roast to come to room temperature.  Place roast on a rack set inside a sheet pan.  Put a thermometer in the middle of the meat, away from any bone.  Allow to smoke until it reaches an internal temperature of 125°F for rare, 135°F for medium, or 145°F for well. Cover it with foil and let it rest ½ hour before serving.

For Au Jus:
Pour any dripping from sheet pan into a medium skillet.  Add consomme, a can of water and a few dashes of Worcestershire. Turn the burner to medium high and cook for a minute or two, then strain and keep warm. Skim the fat from the jus before serving.

Original Cheesecake

I think I have mentioned before that I am not someone who loves desserts.  I'll have something from time to time but not on a regular basis.  This is I decided to make a cheesecake for Christmas even though I have never made one before.  Thankfully I found a good recipe online that was easy to follow.  The process was not terrible quick, but it was easy.  The results were well worth the effort.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients 

For the crust:
12 whole graham cracker rectangles, finely crushed
5 tablespoons butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
2 pounds cream cheese
1 cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
½ cup sour cream
2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. Take the blocks of cream cheese out of their boxes and let them warm on the counter while you prepare the crust, about 30 minutes.  Grease springform pan with butter or cooking spray.

Cut two large pieces of foil and lay them on the counter in a cross. Set the springform pan in the middle and fold the edges of the foil up around the sides of the pan. 

Mix graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl. The mixture should look like wet sand and hold together in a clump when you press it in your fist. If not, add water, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture holds together. Transfer to the springform pan and press evenly into the bottom.

Place the crust in the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the crust is  just starting to brown around the edges. Remove from oven and allow the crust cool on a cooling rack while you prepare the filling.

Combine the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is creamy and no lumps of cream cheese remain. Scrape down the beater and the sides of the bowl with a spatula.  Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla to the bowl and beat on low speed until combined and creamy. Scrape down the beater and sides of the bowl with a spatula.

With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs and the yolk one at a time. Wait until the previous egg is just barely mixed into the batter before adding the next one. Scrape down the beater and sides of the bowl with a spatula. Stir the batter a few times by hand, being sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl, to make sure everything is incorporated. Pour the batter over the cooled crust and spread it into an even layer against the sides of the pan.

Transfer the pan to a roasting pan or other baking dish big enough to hold it. Bring a few cups of water to a boil and pour the water into the roasting pan, being careful not to splash any water onto the cheesecake. Fill the pan to about an inch, or just below the lowest edge of foil. Bake the cheesecake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes. The cheesecake is done when the outer two to three inches look slightly puffed and set, but the inner circle still jiggles when you gently shake the pan.

Turn off the oven and crack the door open. Let the cheesecake cool slowly for one hour.  After an hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and from the water bath, unwrap the foil, and transfer it to a cooling rack. Run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the cake to make sure it's not sticking to the sides. Let the cheesecake cool completely on the rack.

Chill the cheesecake, uncovered, for at least four hours in the refrigerator. Take the cheesecake out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan to serve. Unmold the cake and top the cheesecake just before serving.

Carnation Fudge

I must admit, I am not a big desserts or sweets person.  I don't make many desserts during the year, but when I do, it is typically around the holidays.  Fudge is my weakness and I can't make it through the holidays without at least one batch of fudge.  This year I found a simple recipe online and decided to give it a try.  My husband doesn't like nuts so I left those out but did sneak a few into one small strip of the pan once they were starting to cool.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 ½ cups sugar

5 oz. can evaporated milk

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

¼  tsp. salt

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 ½ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Line 8-inch-square baking pan with wax paper.  Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in marshmallows, morsels, nuts, and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan; remove wax paper and cut into small squares.

Green Bean Casserole

Green bean casserole is one of my husband's favorite side dishes and is always a welcome addition at our holiday meals.  This is a very simple recipe that tastes great and is easy to make.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 cans french cut green beans, drained
1  can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (6 oz) can French fried onions
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt/pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Place green beans, soup, cheese, and half of the french fried onions in a casserole dish and mix well.  Add salt & pepper to taste. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until hot in the center. Remove from oven and sprinkle the other half of French fried onions over the top and bake 5 more minutes. 

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is one of those great cold weather dishes that warms the soul.  Flakey pie crust filled with vegetables, chicken and a nice thick sauce...what a wonderful combination.  This is an easy recipe to make and is a great way to use leftover chicken or turkey.  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 refrigerated pie crusts - unbaked

1 lb. cooked and shredded chicken

2 cups chicken broth

1 ½ Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (¼" thick)

2 stalks celery, sliced ¼" thick

4 Tablespoons butter

½ cup flour

½ cup whole milk

½ teaspoon ground dried thyme

3 Tbsp. dry sherry

¼ cup frozen peas, thawed

3 Tbsp. minced parsley (fresh)

Directions:

Heat oven to 400°F,  place oven rack in middle position. Place oil in the stock pot, turn heat to medium high. Add the carrots, onion and celery. Sauté until just tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the vegetables into the bowl with the chicken and set aside.

Melt the butter in the now empty stock pot over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and cook 1 minute.

Whisk in the chicken broth, milk and thyme. Bring to a simmer, continuing to simmer until sauce thickens (about 1 min.). Season with salt and pepper, stir in the sherry.

Pour the sauce over the chicken-vegetables mixture, stir well. Stir in the peas and parsley.  Line a large casserole dish with one of the pie crusts which has been rolled to fit the pan.   Pour the chicken mixture into the pan and top with second crust.  Make four small slits in the top of the pie crust.  Bake in preheated oven until pie crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

My family loves Mexican food and chicken enchiladas are always a big hit.  This is a easy recipe that produces tasty results every time.  You can use left over chicken or quickly bake a few chicken breasts to use in this recipe.  The recipe calls for fat-free sour cream and you could also use less cheese if you wanted to cut even more calories.  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3-4 cups cooked Chicken, shredded or cut into small chunks
4 oz. can chopped Mild Green Chiles
16 oz. fat-free Sour Cream
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
10 flour Tortillas

Preparation
To make sauce, mix green chiles, ¾ of sour cream (save the rest for garnish) and soup. Take ¼ of sauce mixture and spread in bottom of greased 13x9" baking pan.  Then take approximately ¼ of this mixture and mix with the chicken. Fill flour tortillas with a scoop of chicken mixture and some cheese. Roll enchilada style and place in pan.

Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce and cover baking pan with foil. Bake at 350°F for approximately 30-35 minutes.

Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake another 5 minutes.

Chicken Tamales

On Thanksgiving day, my sister and I decided to spend the afternoon making tamales.  Now, I don't know about you, but the thought of spending even more time on Thanksgiving cooking was not all that appealing to me.  I decided to go ahead and make the filling in advance and prepare the masa just before our tamale party began.  I found this recipe online and it was a winner.  Everyone in the family enjoyed them without complaint.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) packages dried corn husks

Filling:
1 lb tomatillo, husked and rinsed ( 10-12 medium)
2-3 fresh green chili pepper, stemmed and seeded (Anaheim, Serrano, or jalapeños - choose your heat level)
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
⅔ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
2 tsp. salt

Batter:
10 oz lard (or vegetable shortening)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
3 ½ cups dried masa harina for tamales
2 ¼ cups hot water
1  to 1 ½ cup chicken broth
2 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. chili powder


Directions

Cover corn husks with very hot water, weight with a plate to keep them submerged, and let stand for a couple of hours until the husks are pliable.

Filling:

On a baking sheet, roast the tomatillos about 4 inches below a very hot broiler until soft and blackened in spots, about 5 minutes; flip them over and roast the other side. Cool and transfer to a food processor or blender. Add the chiles and garlic and process to a smooth puree. Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium high. When quite hot, add the puree all at once and stir until noticeably thicker and darker, about 5 minutes. (You may wish to cover the pot with a splatter screen) Add 2 cups of the broth and simmer over medium-high heat until thick enough to coat a spoon quite heavily, at least 10 minutes.  Taste and season with salt, usually about 2 teaspoons. Stir in the chicken and cilantro; cool completely.

Batter:

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the lard or shortening with salt, chili powder, and the baking powder until light in texture, about 1 minute. Continue beating as you add the masa and water in three additions. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add 1 cup of the remaining broth. Continue beating for another minute or so. Beat in enough of the remaining ½ cup of broth to give the mixture the consistency of soft (not runny) cake batter; it should hold its shape in a spoon. Taste the batter and season with additional salt if needed.

Assembly:

To assemble each tamale, spread 2 Tbsps. of the batter on the center of the corn husk.  Place about 1 Tbsp. meat mixture in the middle of the batter.  Pick up the two long sides of the cornhusk and bring them together (this will cause the batter to surround the filling).  Fold up the empty 1 ½-inch section of the husk  and secure it in place by loosely tying one of the strings or strips of husk around the tamale. Note: I used Alton Brown's suggestion to bundle the tamales in groups of three and tie with kitchen twine vs tying each one.

As they’re made, stand the tamales on their folded bottoms in the prepared steamer. Don’t tie the tamales too tightly or pack them too closely in the steamer. They need room to expand.Add water to steamer pot just below the basket.  Bring water to boil and reduce heat to low.  Cover and steam until the dough is firm and pulls away easily from the husk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Lasagna

I love lasagna but rarely make it because it's a time consuming process.  If you search the internet, you are surely to find a recipe which states that their lasagna is the best lasagna ever made.  I definitely won't go that far, but this is a great tasting lasagna with simple ingredients.  It's very kid-friendly and can be made ahead of time and cooked on a busy week night.  Enjoy!

Printable recipe

Ingredients
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
1 lb. lean ground beef
½ cup onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
½ cup water
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1 ½ tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp. salt
½  tsp. black pepper
4 Tbsps. chopped fresh parsley (divided)
12 lasagna noodles
16 oz. ricotta cheese
1 egg
½ tsp. salt
¾ lbs. mozzarella cheese, sliced
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic until meat is browned. Drain.  Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Add sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, 1 Tbsp. salt, pepper, 2 Tbsp. parsley and mix well. Simmer, covered, for an hour, stirring occasionally.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and ½ tsp. salt.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

To assemble lasagna, spread 1 ½ cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread ½ of the ricotta cheese mixture over noodles. Top with ⅓ of mozzarella cheese slices and ¼ cup Parmesan cheese. Spread 1 ½ cups meat sauce over mozzarella. Add another layer of noodles, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Add remaining meat sauce, then top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Soup

Rain.  That's what has been in our weather forecast for the past few days.  Lots and lots of cold rain.  When it's cold and wet I love to have a nice hot bowl of soup or chili.  When I think of soup, my favorite is broccoli cheddar.  This is an easy crockpot recipe and even my kids enjoy this soup.  We have it with honey cornbread muffins and together they make a great meal.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
¼ cup butter
¼ cup onion, finely chopped
⅔ cup flour
32 oz. box chicken broth
¾ teaspoon salt
½ cup celery, finely chopped
¾ cup carrot, finely chopped
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen broccoli - rinsed with hot tap water
1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 cups half-and-half


Directions
Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until glossy. Pour onion and butter into crock-pot.

Add flour slowly to crock pot stirring with a whisk. Pour in chicken broth and whisk until smooth. Add salt, celery, carrots, and broccoli. Cook low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.  Using either an immersion blender or traditional blender, blend soup to the desired consistency.

Add cheese cubes and stir until melted. Pour in half and half, stirring to blend. Cover and continue to cook for an additional 30 minutes. 

Honey Cornbread Muffins

Corn muffins are a staple in our house during the winter.  Anytime I make soup, you can bet corn muffins will be close by.  In the past when time is crunched, I must admit that I turn to the box mix to whip up  a quick batch.  This recipe changes that because it is just as quick and easy and the results were very tasty.  This recipe is from the Neely's, and like their other recipes that I have tried, it did not disappoint.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
½ stick butter, melted
¼ cup honey

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Place paper liners in a 12 cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the muffin pan (I use an ice cream scoop to make this easier). Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.